Combined buckle and snap-hook



(No Model.)

C SMITH colsaBINEDy BUGKLB'AND SNAB HOOK.

No. 416,868. vPatented Dec. 10, 1889.Y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SMITH, OF ROGERS, ARKANSAS.

COMBINED BUCKLE AND SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,868, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed February Z8, 1889. Serial No. 301,441. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern" Be it known that I, CHARLES SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rogers, in the county of Benton and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in -Buckles for I'Iarness, of which the following is a specification.

. dotted lines in Fig. 2,

The invention relates to improvements in buckles for harness, having for its object to provide a simple, cheap, durable, and eifective device which combines a snap-hook and buckle; and it consists in a certain novel construction and combination of parts, fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, and specically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the improved buckle applied in the operative position to a halter-strap. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional View of the saine. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the buckle with the strap removed. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the frame A, and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the swinging bar.

Referring to the drawings by letter, Adesignates the rectangular frame of the buckle, having a hook B integral with its front end, and a iiat loop C is formed in the inner side of the buckle -fraine between and parallel with the parallel cross-bars D D. The crossbars and loop connect the side barsd a of the buckle-frame, and the bar D is provided with perforations d d.

E designates a swinging bar, which is arranged on the outer side of the buckle-frame and is provided with the clips or ears F F, which engage the bar D by passing through the perforations (l (l and -bending outward around the edge of the bar. This swinging bar is tapered in width toward the rear end to form the l'nickle-tongue e, which bears at its free end on the outer side of the end bar d of the buckle, and the broad front end e of the swinging bar bears against the inner side of the free end of the hook B, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. It will be seen that the swinging bar is pivoted to the frame between the buckle-tongue e and the snaphook tongue e', whereby as the former is swung away from the end bar of the buckle the latter also swings inward, as shown in out of contact with the free end of the hook.

to pass freely.

The swinging bar is provided adjacent to the point' of connection with the buckleframe with an enlargement G, having the parallel cross-bars g g, and a loop H is formed on the front side of t-he swinging bar midway between and parallel with the cross-bars g g. This combined buckle and snap-hook may be used in various parts of the harness to connect the parts thereof but I have shown it in the drawings applied to a halter or rein-strap K, which passes through the buckle-frame and is engaged by thefre'e'reduced endof thetongue e, passes through the loop on the outer side of the swingingbar, extends around the hook B, thereby covering the free end of the hook and the hook-tongue e', and passes through the loop on the inner side of the buckle-frame. Vhen it is desired to engage or disengage the bitring I, the free end ot' the strap is withdrawn from the loop on' the frame of the buckle, and the. snap-hook tongue is depressed out of contact with the free end of the hook by pressure on the loop H, thereby allowing the ring The ring cannot be detached while the free end of the strap is engaged in the loop C. The perforation in the strap, which is engaged by the buckle-tongue, cannot slip forward on the said tongue, and thereby permit the free end of the tongue e to swing away from the end of the hook, because of the tapered shape of the said buckletongue.

The buckle described is simple and cheap vin construction, as it comprises only two parts, both of which may be struck from sheet metal or lnade from any other metallic substance, as shown in the drawings. The loop C is struck up from the plane of the buckleframe and the loop l-I is struck up from the plane of the swinging bar, it being preferred to have the said loopsvery little above the planes of the parallel bars on opposite sides thereof, so that the strap is slightly depressed by said loops, and is thereby held from slipping. This construction of the loops and the parallel bars on opposite sides thereof is of special importance, and great stress is therefore laid thereon.

Having thus described the invention, I claim- IDO l. The buckle-frame terminating at one end in a hook and at the other end in a lateral loop having a cross-bar and a second offset cross bar at one side of the mainV bar, in combination with the tongue-frame consisting` of the central frame portion Connected at its front end to the main cross-bar of the buckle-frame and having` an outwardly-off- Set Cross bar aligning with that of said buckle-frame and terminating at one end in a buckle-tongue to ooaot with the buckleframe loop and at the other end in a tongue adapted to ooaot With the hook on the buckleframe, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the buckle-frame A, having the integral hook B, .the parallel bars D D', and the upstruok loop C at one side of said bars, and the swinging bar E, Connected to the barD, tapered toward its rear endto forinwthe buckle-tongue @,beraring at its front end against the loop O, and the snap-hook longue e', bearing against the free end of the hook B and provided with an ii'lterinedate loop H, substantially as specified.

In a buckle, the frame A, having tho Cross-bar D, perforated, as at d., and oset bar D, and having the hook B at one end and Y 

